1980 Pontiac LeMans Station Wagon - G-T-faux (stuck with it, and can't shake it... like a bad case of herpes)

Status
Not open for further replies.

motorheadmike

Geezer
Nov 18, 2009
8,976
27,522
113
Saskatchewan, Truckistan
Nah, shocks won't help. Ya just need to lose the inner fenders.

When the car arrived they were half cutout of the car... maybe I should have left it that way? Heh.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

UNGN

Comic Book Super Hero
Sep 6, 2016
3,048
3,264
113
Southlake, TX
I would not remove the inner fenders entirely, but find a way to clearance/raise them up. Without inner fenders, tires pick up and throw gravel at the underside of the hood/fenders and they eventually get goosebumps. The top of my 2+2 fender had a negative hail dent from a small rock that made it through a small gap between the outer fender and the cut inner fender. .
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user

motorheadmike

Geezer
Nov 18, 2009
8,976
27,522
113
Saskatchewan, Truckistan
I would not remove the inner fenders entirely, but find a way to clearance/raise them up. Without inner fenders, tires pick up and throw gravel at the underside of the hood/fenders and they eventually get goosebumps. The top of my 2+2 fender had a negative hail dent from a small rock that made it through a small gap between the outer fender and the cut inner fender. .

I used a heat gun to reform them last year - just had too little spring rate.

The car is all back together, now I just have to run it around the block to settle the suspension.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users

motorheadmike

Geezer
Nov 18, 2009
8,976
27,522
113
Saskatchewan, Truckistan
And I am back. Wow... what a transformation! Clearly should have gone this route from Day 1. Looks like I am going to need to trim a half coil off the PS rear spring to level the car out - aka redneck corner weighting.

20180701_155825_HDR.jpg


20180701_155747_HDR.jpg
 
  • Like
  • Winner
Reactions: 11 users

motorheadmike

Geezer
Nov 18, 2009
8,976
27,522
113
Saskatchewan, Truckistan
1. Catch can. If you LS and don't install a decent one you are pulling a tonne of oil vapour. Made a few mild mods - added an o-ring to the dipstick and some stainless scrubber mesh to the internal cap;

20180702_184930.jpg


2. 3rd brake light. Dug through a bunch of old wiring harnesses to get the necessary parts. Glad I pre-wired this thing as an 87 MY G-body so it was pretty much plug and play once I found what I needed.

20180702_185336.jpg


3. Hatch popper. Despite our best efforts Tatiana and I couldn't get it to release the glass. Without the glass it pops fine, with it no bueno. Either the battery was low or there is too much slack in the cable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 7 users

liquidh8

Comic Book Super Hero
Mike, I like that 3rd black light! I have my wagon wired for one, but haven't decided on where to put it.

I know my popper needed a full battery, and the weather stripping helped bump the glass out of the latch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users

motorheadmike

Geezer
Nov 18, 2009
8,976
27,522
113
Saskatchewan, Truckistan
I know my popper needed a full battery, and the weather stripping helped bump the glass out of the latch.

I went out to the garage to try it this morning after having had the car sit on the charger all night - no improvement. I'll try it with the car running maybe 14 volts will be the kick it needs... if it is maybe we trigger it with a relay and a capacitor? And shoot the hatch right off the car.

ejecto-seato-cuz.jpg


LMFAO!
 
Last edited:

motorheadmike

Geezer
Nov 18, 2009
8,976
27,522
113
Saskatchewan, Truckistan
I am experiencing a significantly reduced mass air issue with this thing.

Heat wave?

Bad MAF?

Unreal humidity?

Funky TPS?

Bent pushrods?

Collapsed lifters?

Weak 02 sensor(s)?

Clogged cats?

Dying fuel pump?

Yo' Mama?

Within the last few days the wagon has started going lean under WOT... like back to stoich (aka 14.7:1 AFR or 1.0 Lambda depending upon which church you subscribe to). The calculated g/cyl and dynamic air is way down since end-May when this thing was working really well. The ECM is commanding Power Enrichment (PE) as it should, but the engine is not responding. Hell, I can command a 12.5:1 AFR/.85 Lambda and the second it goes to transition in to PE mode it goes lean. No knock which is good, and 14.7:1/1.0 Lambda is just like being in reduced power mode - if it was 15.5:1/1.1+ Lambda I would be scared shitless. I changed out the TPS and MAF to no avail - I have adjusted the tune to try and bring PE in sooner and that hasn't done squat either.

It is the strangest thing that the g/cyl basically flat lines where before it would have climbed rapidly. This would indicate a restriction which does not exist pre-throttle body 4" MAF/piping and huge air filter. The underhood IATs have jumped 50+ degrees F since May - but even that would only be enough to neuter the engine with marginal pumping losses.

My current theory is that due to the weather (being as hot as the Sun) the MAF is being forced down into an area of the curve that was normally used during part-throttle - low/mid-load conditions and would have been adjusted with the LTFT and STFT via the O2s during Closed Loop (CL) - and therefore gone unnoticed until now. The problem is because this Operating System does not offer CL correction under WOT, it therefore does not have the ability to add/subtract fuel to hit a Target AFR or Equivalence Ratio.

Alternatively it is fuel supply issue or melted cats - I would imagine the latter to be highly probable as this is something that would induce significant pumping losses (hence why the MAF is reading low - air in, air out). However, if this is air quality issue I am going to fix it with a blower - I have never been left holding my *ss like this with boost and making my own atmosphere(s).

Definitely a noodle scratcher.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Status
Not open for further replies.

GBodyForum is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Please support GBodyForum Sponsors

Classic Truck Consoles Dixie Restoration Depot UMI Performance

Contact [email protected] for info on becoming a sponsor